“LOOK carefully!” said the kind Nurse, turning down a corner of the
flannel blanket. “Don’t touch her, dears, but just look.”
The children stood on tiptoe and peeped into the tiny red face. They
were frightened at first, the baby was so very small, but Johnny took
courage in a moment.
“Hasn’t she got any eyes?” he asked. “Or is she like kittens?”
“Yes; she has eyes, and very bright ones, but she is fast asleep now.”
“Look at her little hands!” whispered Lily. “Aren’t they lovely? Oh, I
do wish I could give her a hug!”
“Not yet,” said Nurse. “She is too tender to be hugged. But Mamma sends
word that you may give her something,—a name. She wants you and Johnny
to choose the baby’s name, only it must not be either Jemima, Keziah or
Keren-Happuch.”
The Nurse went back into Mamma’s room, and left Johnny and Lily staring
at each other, too proud and happy to speak at first.
“Let’s sit right down on the floor and think!” said John. So down they
sat.
“I think Claribel is a lovely name!” said Lily, after a pause. “Don’t
you?”
“No!” replied Johnny, “it’s too girly.”
“But baby _is_ a girl!”
“I don’t care. She needn’t have such a _very_ girly name. How do you
like Ellen?”
“Oh, Johnny! why, _everybody’s_ named Ellen. We don’t want her to be
just like everybody. Now Seraphina is not common.”
“I should hope not. I should need a mouth a yard wide to say it. What
do you think of Bessie?”
“Oh, Bessie is very well, only—well, I should be always thinking of
Bessie Jones, and you know she isn’t very nice. I’ll tell you what,
Johnny! suppose we call her Vesta Geneva, after the girl Papa told us
about yesterday.”
“Lily, you are a perfect silly! Why, I wouldn’t be seen with a sister
called that! I think Polly is a nice, jolly kind of name.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“You needn’t get mad if you don’t. Cross-patch!”
“You’re perfectly horrid, John Brown; I sha’n’t play with you any more.”
“Much I care, silly Lily!”
“Well!” said Nurse, coming in again, “what is the name to be, dears?
Mamma is anxious to know.”
Two heads hung very low, and two pairs of eyes sought the floor and
stayed there. “Shall I tell you,” the good Nurse went on, taking no
notice, “what I thought would be a very good name for baby?”
“Oh yes! yes! do tell us, ’cause we can’t get the right one.”
“Well, I thought your mother’s name, Mary, would be the very best name
in the world. What do you think?”
“Why, of course it would! We never thought of that. Oh, thank you,
Nurse!” cried both voices, joyously. “Dear Nurse! will you tell Mamma,
please?”
Nurse nodded, and went away smiling, and Lily and John looked
sheepishly at each other.
“I—I will play with you, if you like, Johnny, dear.”
“All right, Lil.”